Fifty rape victims were interviewed in one research project. The subjects examined in the research were the circumstances under which the rapes occurred and victim characteristics, reasons for not reporting rape, victims' experiences and perceptions of the police and the medical examination, the victim in the court process, and the effects of rape on the victim and victim responses. Other topics covered were forms of support for rape victims and their impressions of them, experiences and perceptions of victims raped by husbands, victim support services, and victims' suggestions for change. The objectives of the research on rape complaints and the police were (1) to analyze the police process from the initial complaint to the decision to proceed with prosecution, (2) to determine whether complaints involve any particular problems for the police and how they deal with them, (3) to establish the reasons why such a large proportion of reported rapes are classified as 'no offense disclosed,' and (4) to determine some police officers' views about the substantive and procedural law on rape. In a third project, an examination of 1980 and 1981 court files was undertaken as part of a larger study on rape, with the objective of the research being to provide basic descriptive information about alleged rape incidents and determine how the criminal justice system deals with rape cases. The final study sent questionnaires to samples of judges and lawyers to determine their views of various aspects of the handling of rape cases. The judges were queried on the complainant's trauma, the definition of rape, evidence, consent, court procedures, the accused, and suggestions for improvement. The lawyers were asked their views in the same areas, with the addition of perspectives on police, court, and support services. The appendix discusses the perspectives underlying the total research project on rape. For volume 1, see NCJ-90477.